Cakewalk for Mumbai

Karnataka succumb to pace; Jaffer amp; Co complete formalities with 20.5 overs to spare

With several famous names on their sides,the Mumbai-Karnataka quarter-final had the potential to be a tight contest between equals. But a flawless display by Mumbai ensured that they sailed into the last four without breaking sweat on a pleasant day. They chased down the target of 178 in mere 29.1 overs by losing just one wicket.

But there were those at Ferozeshah Kotla on Tuesday who said that Mumbai had the rub of the green as,by virtue of winning the toss,they got the opportunity to bowl first on a damp pitch. Lady luck continued to smile on them all day,since by the time Mumbai openers took guard the surface was dry and had turned docile because of the afternoon sun.

After the game Karnataka spinner Robin Uthappa said that the match was played on two different wickets. When he took field as an opener after the toss,Uthappa saw the ball moving in the air and not quite coming on to the bat. Strokeplay was difficult as the Mumbai new ball bowlers Ajit Agarkar and Dhaval Kulkarni were proving to be handful.

Uthappa managed to score 30 before he was out to a delivery that stopped on him. By the time the pitch started playing true,Karnataka were 57/6. First change pacer Kshemal Waigankar snared three wickets,including that Uthappa,in a highly-disciplined spell of 10 overs.

Changing track

After the lunch break,there was no assistant from the pitch for the Karnataka bowlers. This resulted in the Mumbai openers Wasim Jaffer 68 and Ajinkya Rahane 71 no plundering runs at will. They hit the ball on the rise and drove with elan. The openers took the teams total to 100 in 15.2 overs and both hit 10 boundaries each in their innings.

Jaffer showed his trademark sublime touch while dispatching the balls aimed at his legs to the on-side fence. The stylish batsman scored six boundaries on the leg side on way to his run-a-ball half-century. He also stepped out to the part-time spinners and hit two sixes. Jaffer was eventually dismissed by left-arm spinner Abarar Kazim. Rahane was subdued in his approach as he remained unbeaten on 71. After Jaffers dismissal Sushant Marathe walked in at No.3 and scored 31 runs.

But the hero for the day for Mumbai was Kshemal. Though,the morning conditions did favour the bowlers Kshemals efforts cant be undermined. In and out of the Mumbai side over the last few years,the tall pacer impressed with his consistency. He also showed great stamina as he completed his entire quota in a single spell. Despite bowling 10 overs on a trot,he managed to get carry and could also get the ball to shape.

Kshemal does the job

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Kshemal resisted the temptation to experiment on the two-paced pitch and bowled in the right areas. It was one such ball that dismissed Manish Pandey for a duck as the young batsman failed to keep his bat away from the ball that moved slightly off the wicket. Kshemal bowled five maidens,two of which came when Mumbai opted for bowling powerplay. Karnataka scored mere 3 runs in those five overs,losing two wickets.

Brief scores: Karnataka 178 for 9 Raju Batkal 38,Robin Uthappa 30,Sunil Raju 30; Kshemal Waingankar 3/19,Ankit Chavan 2/29 vs Mumbai 179 for 1 in 29.1 overs Wasim Jaffer 68,Ajinkya Rahane 71 not out,Sushant Marathe 31 not out.